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Tuesday, September 29, 2015

One of Dr Jones' medical journals had a recent article titled: The biggest risk to the elderly

... is us.

Reviewed July 2016

The article was addressing the fact that there is a threat to the elderly posed by medical treatments. The patients were plagued by known common adverse reactions to drugs. The problems came from the treatments themselves, not treatment error or negligence. The most problematic drugs are antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications. While the report refers to conditions in New Zealand, a comment by an MD associated with the American Academy of Family Physicians indicated that the report pretty accurately reflects conditions here in our current medical system.

In addition, both reports mention the fact that many elderly people are taking multiple prescription medications which easily leads to drug-drug interactions.

The frustrating part of this report is that there are natural nutritional alternatives to antibiotics and anti inflammatory medications. Ultra Monolaurin is well known for its anti viral and anti bacterial benefits while antibiotics have been shown to be ineffective against viral infections - such as those causing most upper respiratory infections. As you can see, it is super easy to protect yourself from colds and flu without antibiotics.

In the arena of anti inflammatory medications, there is a growing body of knowledge about the anti inflammatory benefits of fish oil - and new warnings about the side effects of NSAIDs. Ultra Omega-Linic tops the list of fish oil products. We provide extra anti inflammatory action with the addition of GLA from Black Currant seed oil that we have added to Wild Alaskan Salmon.

For more immediate pain relief Dr Jones recommends Opti-MSM Lotion Plus. It works well for wrist, knee and back pain. An added benefit is included - the easing of skin irritations common to aging skin.

Another very effective pain-reliever is Yucca. Dr Jones recommends 2 capsules be taken 3 or 4 times per day as necessary for pain. A great thing about Yucca is that you can avoid the side effects of NSAIDs and other over the counter pain relief medications. Yucca is also being used for hyper-lipidemia conditions - and it is a great antioxidant.

Another tidbit of information came from Consumer Reports. They tested a number of ground beef samples for contaminants. Samples included what they termed 'conventionally raised beef ' (those given antibiotics and handled in a conventional manner) and those more 'sustainably produced'. These included cattle that are grass-fed, those who received no antibiotics or were fit to be called 'organic'. Ground beef from the more naturally produced cattle had a much lower incidence of salmonella and other pathogenic organisms.

If you are inclined to buy beef that is 'sustainably produced', beware the term 'natural'. That term is not defined by the government. Look for PCL certified or certifications of 100% grass fed, or Animal Welfare approved, or similar labels.

Along with these thoughts, be aware that as we age we are less likely to produce stomach acid. We are also likely to have had a course of antibiotic treatment which may have eliminated the good bacteria from our intestinal defense system. Adding a good digestive enzymealong with replenishing the GI tract with probioticscan help in the event of exposure to tainted meat. You may not be able to avoid exposure to salmonella - but you may be able to defend against consequences of the contamination.